Shattered Spirit
by CrazyNutBob
Summary: After events that separated her from her mother, a newborn Cyndaquil finds herself under the so-called 'care' of a constantly angry trainer. Though the tiny Pokémon has hidden strength, her inability to properly access her powers results in her worsening health and decreasing happiness. The first story in a series. R&R please.
1. Prologue

"Rain, rain, go away..." Jenna mumbled. She was lucky to have built her nest in a burrow she found. Not on a floodplain, so there was no chance of it filling up with water should a flood occur. There were no caves in this forest, so this was the best shelter from the rain.

She sighed. It felt strange to be underground watching the rain. Especially since she was no ground-type.

She was a Typhlosion.

The burrow had been dug under a rock, to make sure no water seeped into it. Nearby plants also took in water, which was also good. But, still, she couldn't help but worry about the rain. After all, something might go wrong someday.

Jenna scolded herself for her pessimistic thoughts. She tried to think of good things.

_Rain doesn't last forever...I'm going to find a new home sooner or later... _

She felt a twitch near her abdomen. She turned her head to see her egg leaning against her belly. She smiled.

_My egg's about to hatch... _

The egg, mossy green with red spots and a cream bottom, had been twitching since this morning. It had flashed a couple of times earlier as well.

Jenna began to wonder about her not-yet-hatched Cyndaquil. _Will it be a boy or girl? What will it's personality be like? How well will it battle? _

The egg flashed and she started staring at it. The flashes were occuring more often as the day went by. As night fell, her egg flashed twice every minute or so. Her eyes brightened as the egg grew closer to hatching. Then, as the skies cleared and showed the moon, the egg began to emit a steady glow. Jenna contained her excitement as the egg changed its form. Within seconds, it grew arms, legs, a head, and a body. When it stopped glowing, there sat a small, sleepy creature.

"Quiiiil..." the newborn Pokemon yawned and looked around. Jenna studied it for a moment.

The Cyndaquil was quite healthy, as its fur gave a healthy shine in the moonlight. A good form, nothing wrong with its nose or eyes(as if she could tell anyway), and upon closer inspection, Jenna discovered the little one was female. A cute little girl, too.

Cyndaquil spotted Jenna, and instantly thought, _Mommy._ She stood up and attempted to walk, but fell over. Jenna shot out her arm and caught her just in time. "Careful, little one," she said to the baby Pokemon. "I guess you're not used to walking, huh?"

Cyndaquil looked up and stared into her mother's face. "Yea-yeah..." she said quietly. She yawned and mumbled, "I'm tired." She crawled over and curled up nest to Jenna's chest, falling asleep instantly. Jenna stroked her fur as the baby Pokemon slept.

_It's unbeliveable that this is my daughter._ she thought. _She'll be a strong one. I can feel it._ She laid down her head and fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Xatu was perched just outside, watching the two. He spent a few minutes staring into Cyndaquil's future.

_"She will be a strong one. But you don't know what is in store for little Cindy..."_


	2. Bright Wonders

The next morning, Jenna and her newborn Cyndaquil crawled out of the burrow into warm sunshine. The bird Pokemon were singing, the grass types were sunbathing, and bug types sucked up sap from nearby trees. Cyndaquil shut her eyes tightly and covered them.

"Mommy, it's so bright!" she complained.

Jenna rolled her eyes and said, "It's okay, darling, it's just the daytime. Open your eyes, you'll get used to it."

Cyndaquil opened her eyes just enough to see, but not enough to reveal her eyes. She marveled at the tall trees and all the Pokemon around. She breathed in the fresh air, and felt the ground beneath her feet. She began to explore and laughed as she did. Jenna couldn't help but smile at the little one.

"Now, to think of a name..." she mumbled. She knew many Cyndaquil were called by the name of what they are, but she wanted to call her by her own name. She wanted to give her daughter something unique, but something that won't be flat out embarrassing for the little one. As she thought, a figure approached her.

"I have a suggestion, my friend." he said.

Jenna's ears perked up, and she briefly glanced at the figure behind her, though admittedly, it was a poor glance.

"Cindy."

Jenna stared in a random direction for a moment, then started to laugh. Cindy? Isn't that a little cheesy? She kept laughing for another minute, then toned it down so she could talk.

"Why name her something so simple?" she chuckled. However, she stopped laughing when she turned completely around and realized she was talking to a Xatu.

"I'm sorry, but, seriously?" she asked.

"Yes, I saw into your daughter's future, and when she's a year old, she'll have a trainer who will call her that." Xatu explained.

Jenna's eyes widened. A trainer? Really? A Xatu's predictions were nothing to sneeze at. After all, mother Pokemon abandon their young when they're old enough to live on their own, which is at least a year old. She'll be captured by next year? She didn't want to think about it, especially since she still felt hurt by her last encounters with a human.

"Are you sure it'll be Cindy?" Jenna asked doubtfully.

"I am sure. She'll be used to the name by then."

Jenna narrowed her eyes at the bird, unsure about his seriousness. She was about to reply when she heard a splash and her daughter screaming.

"OH NO!" She spun around and dashed to the source of the screaming.

Xatu shook his head. _She'll forget about me in a week. At least the name 'Cindy' will serve as a subconscious reminder of her mother, even after next week's events. At least the Cyndaquil's father will watch her, no matter how far apart they are. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jenna had made it to the river and found Cyndaquil clinging to a rock, trying to keep from being swept away in the current. She was afraid, as Jenna could tell, and her little paws were slipping! So, Jenna carefully waded in the cold water, and as quickly as she could, lugged through the current to reach her baby.

"Mommy, help!" Cyndaquil yelled.

The water weakened her, and her legs began to freeze, yet Jenna kept wading. _Almost there,_ she thought. Once about halfway there, she began extending her arm to her.

As Cyndaquil attempted to reach back, she slipped and started floating down the river. She screamed out of sheer terror, not knowing what'll happen next. Jenna, panicing and not content with wasting time, sprung forward, splashing into the water close enough to grab her child. She waded back to shore, climbed out of the river quickly, and set Cyndaquil down. The young Pokemon coughed and shivered.

"Mommy...I'm cold." she said through chattering teeth.

Jenna walked a good distance away from the baby and shook her body to dry herself off. She breathed heavily and started shaking.

"Cindy..._do not..._ play in the water! Fire-types are weak against water!" she snapped, upset over what just happened.

The young Pokemon jumped back, shocked. She still shivered from her wet fur, her face on the brink of tears. "I'm sorry, Mommy...I just wanted to see what it was like to play in it. I saw others playing in it."

Jenna sighed. "Cindy, those are water-types. They're meant to play and live in the water, and use water-type attacks. Now, shake yourself. It'll dry you off." Then, making sure her fur was dry, made the red spots around her neck burst into flame. "Or it'll be difficult to do this."

Cyndaquil copied her mother's shaking actions, and then rose up on both hind legs to gape at the flaming mane. Though amazing, the realization that her mother had said a strange word nagged at her.

"Cindy?" she asked.

Jenna then realized she had called her baby the name that Xatu suggested. "Uhh... it's your name. You'll be called 'Cindy' from now on." she said, thinking, _Why couldn't this mystery trainer come up with a better name? _

Cyndaquil (who'll now be called Cindy) thought for a moment, and with a big grin, said, "Okay, Mommy!" She admired the flames around her mother's neck. "How do you do that?" she asked.

Jenna smiled. "I'll teach you..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the next week, Jenna was teaching Cindy about the forest they lived in, what's edible and what's not, how to take a drink from the river without falling in, and which Pokemon are friendly to a little Cyndaquil, and those that'll attack it. She also taught her how to use attacks for self-defense, though Cindy was having problems lighting her flame, even complaining about feeling too cold and wet, even when perfectly dry. Though flame problems weren't unheard of for a Cyndaquil, the feeling of wetness in her red spots was. _Must've taken more damage from that river than I thought. _thought Jenna.

But, the two had fun as well. Cindy would pick large leaves, and sled down a hill on one, while her mother used a couple as skates and slid down as well(though she fell quite a few times). They'd shout in the nearby canyon and listen to the echos (Cindy often asked who was shouting back at them). And they'd point out funny shapes in clouds.

As night fell the seventh day, the two looked at stars, Jenna pointing out constellations and Cindy excitedly trying to find them. Jenna had to draw out shapes of the constellations in the dirt for the little Pokémon to try to find, including one of Jenna's own invention.

"Mommy, I can't find it!" Cindy shouted in frustration.

"Keep looking, it's there." Jenna encouraged.

Cindy peered closer to a certain spot in the sky, and jumped up. "Mommy! I see it! There's the funny dancing Feraligatr!" she exclaimed, giggling.

Jenna laughed. "I told you it was funny."

Cindy kept giggling. "Funny shapes in clouds and stars? That's so cool!"

She attempted to look for more when a shooting star streaked across the dark sky. She stared for a moment, then asked, "Mommy, what's that?"

Jenna saw it as well. "That's a shooting star. You make a wish on it, and if you tell no one, it might come true." she told Cindy.

Cindy took it in for a moment, then started pushing her.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Jenna inquired.

"Go, go, go! I'm gonna make a wish!" Cindy snapped. She kept pushing.

Deciding to let Cindy have her wish, Jenna walked off and hid behind a tree. She was still in hearing range so she could hear the little Cyndaquil's wish:

"I wish I could go out and see the world!" Cindy looked around, making sure no one was there.

When she heard this, she sighed and whispered to herself, "I wish I could see my little Cindy become a Typhlosion." She leaned against the tree and started thinking.

_Cindy's not a normal Cyndaquil. She's extremely curious, a little daredevil, not at all shy, and whenever her flame is lit, she can use a powerful fire attack. Too powerful for her to even be a Cyndaquil. I guess that's what happens when her father happens to be- _

"MOMMY! I'm done with my wish! You can come out now!" Cindy yelled. Jenna snapped out of her thoughts and came out from hiding, approaching the week-old Pokemon.

"So, what did you wish for?" she asked, seeing if Cindy remembered what she had told her.

Cindy stood back, looking offended. "Mommy! You told me I'm not supposed to tell anyone!" she shouted crankily, rubbing her eyes. Jenna could see she was tired. It had been a long day for the both of them.

"Okay, okay. But if you don't go to bed, you'll have to tell me." Jenna stated, smirking.

"But-but I'm not" -yawn- "tired." Cindy complained.

"Then why did you yawn?"

"Ummm..." -yawn- "I don't know."

Jenna picked up Cindy and carried her to the burrow. She listened to the mumbled complaints of her daughter, growing quieter and quieter as Jenna walked closer to the burrow. By the time she got there, Cindy had already fallen asleep. Jenna crawled into the burrow, curled up, and made sure both she and Cindy were comfortable. She nuzzled her daughter, laid her head down, and closed her eyes. She smiled when she felt a small body cuddle up to her, and she drifted to sleep.

_ By this time, Jenna had forgotten about the Xatu, and what happened that night would change little Cindy's life..._


	3. Forced Seperate Ways

Cindy felt the rising and falling of her mother's chest rocking her. She was sound asleep, dreaming about adventures that she hoped to have. Her leg twitched, softly kicking at Jenna, who was curled up around her. Jenna was asleep as well, smiling from the tiny, yet firm jerks of her daughter's leg. They didn't hurt, so Jenna simply ignored them. Her peaceful slumber lasted until she heard a twig snap. Her ear twitched, and she lifted her head. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Her eyelids were still a little heavy, but she couldn't close them after hearing the twig.

Another twig snapped. Jenna cocked her head and lifted her ear, hearing footsteps. They weren't the familiar footsteps of the nocturnal Pokemon. No, these were different; they sounded like someone was attempting stealth. She nearly strained her ears trying to listen to the no-so-silent tiptoes outside.

_Something's not right._ Jenna thought, now wide awake. She took great care to uncurl herself without waking Cindy, who was still kicking in her sleep. She slowly began crawling toward the entrance, hoping to see what was going on.

When she was no more than a couple feet away from the entrance, suddenly, something wrapped around her neck and started yanking her. She fought back, pulling with all her might, but she was pulled out quickly. She landed with a great thud on the forest floor, finding herself surrounded by strange creatures. They chattered excitedly.

"Well, lookie here. A wild Typhlosion!"

"Whooda thought that was in that burrow?!"

"Man, boss is going to be surprised!"

_Humans._ Jenna just knew those were humans. She recognized that kind of blabber pouring out of their mouths; she'd heard it plenty of times. And from their mocking tones, she knew that they were not friendly. They just yank her out of the burrow, thinking they've won already? She wasn't going to give up without a fight. She stood up and lit her flame, burning the rope around her neck. She looked around her. There were a lot of them, about twenty. She let out a great roar and fire spewed out of her mouth. As they scattered, some of them summoned Pokémon.

Jenna smirked. _Just a bunch of Poison Types, _she thought. Being the swift dodger that she was, Jenna was certain she could take on those Pokémon in a fight. As they attacked, she pounded them one by one with multiple Fire Punches. She sensed a pair of fangs coming her way; she grabbed what she assumed was an Arbok and used it to bat the others away. Sending Arbok flying with a Fire Punch, she rolled into a Flame Wheel and rolled right over her opponents. At the moment, it seemed like she was winning.

"Dang, he's a feisty one!" she heard one exclaim.

"You idiot! It's a girl Typhlosion!" another snapped.

"And how would you know?"

"Look what else I found in the burrow!"

Jenna turned quickly and her heart nearly stopped. One of them had pulled Cindy from out of the burrow while Jenna fought, and startled the little Cyndaquil awake. The man held her upside-down by her leg, and the terrified baby, caught in a stranger's grasp, started crying for help.

"CYNDAQUIL!" _Mommy! Help!_ Cindy squirmed in vain, for the man's grip was strong.

"BAKAWWWRRR!" _Leave my baby alone!_ Jenna's fighting mood gave way to a fierce blazing fury, and she landed an incredibly hot fire punch on the man's face. The man screamed in pain and dropped Cindy to cover his face. Jenna swooped below his level and caught Cindy with her mouth. Knowing she couldn't fight them with her baby in her mouth, she turned and ran as fast as she could.

_If I put her down, one will just take her while I'm fighting the others! I can't let that happen,_ she thought as she ran.

"Mommy, I'm scared!" Cindy cried.

"Don't worry, they won't catch us. I won't let them." Jenna said calmly. She dashed through the forest, avoiding almost every tree, boulder, and bush. She felt low tree branches scratch her face, and snap off the larger branches they clung to. She nearly stumbled over a rock, but regained her balance before continuing her run. She was certain burrs were clinging onto her fur, but now wasn't the time to worry about it. She jumped over the river, and just kept running. Her heart raced as fast as her feet did, and her lungs swelled with each quick breath taken.

Cindy was watching the scenery speed by, getting more and more frightened of the darkness. She couldn't see just what was in front of her until it was almost close enough to touch. She felt some branches scratch her face, but her pounding heart was more distracting. How her mother could dodge every obstacle in the dark forest, she couldn't even comprehend.

When she was sure she had outrun the humans, she slowed down and stopped on a hilltop. With Cindy still in her mouth, she slightly lifted herself on a rock and looked over the rest of the forest. The half-moon glowed as brightly as a full moon that night, and gave the forest a calm, peaceful feeling. How ironic that she and her baby Cyndaquil were being pursued on this night!

Suddenly, a surge of electricity shocked them. Jenna turned and saw that the humans had caught up to them, and were using an Electivire on them! She tried not to roar in pain, for fear she'd drop Cindy. Cindy, however, let out a shrill cry that frightened the humans and their Pokemon, in fact, making them return to their Pokeballs, including the Electivire. As the humans began murmuring about what had just happened and wondered how such a small Pokémon did that, Jenna seized the moment and began running again.

_Those humans are relentless. I need to lose them somehow!_ she thought. She sped more through the forest, not caring if any thorn, burr, or sticker stuck onto her. She turned her head and saw the humans were pursuing them on strange machines. She growled, recognizing them as all-terrain vehicles. _They are slow, so they have to use those things?!_

"Mommy! Tree!" Cindy shouted, still facing in front of them.

Jenna turned her head and nearly skidded to a halt, and held eye contact with a Noctowl. However, she remembered the vehicles behind her, so she jumped to the side and quickly dodged the tree. Cursing under her breath for nearly crashing, her focus remained on the front, to avoid all the obstacles in their way. She saw a clearing ahead of her, and remembered the canyon that laid before them. She tried to think of a plan for distracting the humans so she and Cindy could escape.

As she approached the clearing ahead, an electrical whip was unleashed from one of the humans, and managed to curl it around her left arm. The painful buzzing left a sharp ringing in her ears, and she could feel the area just below her shoulder roasting. The smell of her burning flesh and fur made her queasy, and made the searing agony much more unbearable. Unable to control herself, Jenna roared out in pain, accidentally throwing Cindy. Realizing just how close she was standing to the ledge, Jenna yelled in dismay as Cindy, in a panic, attempted to grab the ledge, but missed. She crawled to the ledge and watched as Cindy tumbled down the cliff, screaming, and disappeared into the fog below. Jenna laid there, staring into the abyss, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She felt something die inside. Her eyes began welling up with tears.

"CINDY!" she cried out, hoping for an answer. No answer.

"No," she whispered. She stretched forth her unhurt arm, reaching for her child, whom she couldn't see now. Biting her lip, the fur on her cheeks soon became wet, and she soon felt hollow. Within moments, the humans grabbed her without any struggle. She didn't even try to fight back.

* * *

The group of wild Pokemon stared at the small shape that had landed on the rocks. It had fallen there a few minutes before, with a small crack. They were afraid of approaching it, yet were curious about it. An Aipom tossed a rock that direction, and there was no reaction from the figure. They weren't sure they wanted to see what it was up close, silently fearing it was a predator waiting to attack any poor bystander.

However, a small group of Legendaries, three large cat-like Pokemon and a small, fairy-like Pokemon, approached the shape, much to the other Pokémon's relief. There lay a small female Cyndaquil, not more than a week old, they could tell. Upon closer inspection, the little one had a terribe head injury, most likely from falling a great distance. However, she was still breathing, though unconscious. They stood in awe at the Cyndaquil's miraculous survival, though it didn't seem like she could survive for long.

"How do you suppose she got up there in the first place?" Suicune, the blue one asked, gazing upward.

"I think she was born up there." said Raikou, the yellow one. The brown one, Entei, just stared at the little Pokemon.

The green, fairy-like one, Celebi, circled and studied her. "I think I can heal her injury," she said. She flew near the Cyndaquil, and placed her hand on her. Within seconds, the injury had disappeared. Celebi backed up, and watched the baby Pokemon squirm. She moved around a little bit, stretched, and yawned. Then she fell back asleep. Celebi moved closer again, and smiled, knowing she was successful in healing Cyndaquil.

"Well, when she wakes up, we'll take her to her mother. That'll be a happy reunion." Raikou said, grinning.

Suicune thought for a moment and said, "Wait, what if she has amnesia? She won't know who her mother is!"

Entei remained quiet.

"Celebi," Suicune asked. "Do you think you can fix her memory?"

Celebi shook her head. "No, I can't. Memory regeneration is not one of my strengths."

"Well, you think her mother could help her remember? She is a week old though..." Raikou said.

A Noctowl flew down. "I'd hate to break it to you, but I saw what happened up there. Her mother has been captured by humans," he said before flying away.

The four of them stared at the Noctowl, and then looked among each other. They may be Legendaries, but they didn't know what to do with an unconscious Cyndaquil who may very well be an orphan soon. Perhaps one of them could raise her? It couldn't be done, because how could any Legendary effectively raise a non-Legendary, when they were wayward souls that the little one couldn't possibly keep up with? They didn't want to leave a baby Pokémon alone before she was ready. After a moment of silence, Entei stepped up.

"I'll go find her a home."

The other three stared.

"You're not serious, are you, Entei?" Raikou said.

"You don't mean..." Celebi choked.

"Are you suggesting giving her to a human? Humans just took her mother!" Suicune exclaimed.

Entei picked up Cyndaquil with his mouth. "There's a nearby path, where young, adventurous humans take on their journey. There may be one out there who'll treat her like she's something special."

"Yeah, but-" the three didn't finish. What other Pokemon would take a young Cyndaquil in? There were no others who were willing to adopt. Reluctantly, they agreed, and Entei began traveling through the forest. When he left, Raikou commented, "I think this is a bad idea."

Celebi thought for a moment and said, "I'll travel through time and see how she fares. And maybe I'll arrange for a helper..."

* * *

Entei walked through the forest, calm as can be, but felt a swell of warmth from the small body he carried. Cyndaquil was still asleep, her leg twitching. She let out soft sighs as she slumbered. He smiled inwardly, only to remind himself that he shouldn't get attached to the little one; he had a duty as a Legendary Pokémon, and he couldn't get distracted by a little Cyndaquil. Even if he could feel the great strength that was hidden within her, even if it hadn't manifested yet.

Soon, they came across a bush, one that no Pokemon dared to approach, due to the smell it emitted. Entei didn't mind the smell; and neither did Cyndaquil for that matter. Seeing the sun rising and the bush next to a path, Entei set down Cyndaquil on the bush. The young Pokemon fidgeted for a moment, then cuddled herself into the soft leaves.

"Young Cyndaquil, you survived a fall that would've killed you. Your body contains a great power that'll reveal itself when the time is right. As of now, you must be raised by a human who can reveal your full potential. And remember, even if I'm not with you physically, you can still reach me when you keep an open mind and a strong heart. That is my blessing."

Entei began walking away. As he left, he took one last look at the small Pokemon sleeping on the bush.

_"Farewell, my daughter..."_

* * *

**_Author's Notes: Okay, you've made it this far, reader. Good job. Are you irritated yet? _**

**_When I started, I wasn't entirely sure how well the concept of the Pokémon version of Demigods (which you can refer to them as either Semi-Legendaries or Half-Blood Legendaries if you'd like) would be received. From what I know of the games, Legendary Pokémon are genderless and you cannot breed them. For this story, I decided, 'Screw it, I'm not calling any Legendary with a significant role an 'it'.'_**

**_So, if that doesn't bother you, you can continue. However, a warning for the next few chapters: ABUSE._**


	4. Anonimo

Cyndaquil had slept soundly until later that morning. She sat up, yawned, and rubbed her eyes. Then she looked around for a few minutes. Everything seemed blurry at first, but, gradually became more clear. The forest was beautiful, with sunbeams pouring through the canopy of the trees. She spotted many Butterfree fluttering towards trees where Heracross were hanging out. Bird Pokemon filled the air with a lovely harmony, and the fresh air smelled wonderful.

Having no memory of the night before, or even the past week, she hopped off the bush and stretched. She looked down and noticed she was standing on a path. She lifted up her foot and curiously glanced at the soil that clung to the bottom of her foot.

"What's this?" she mumbled, and proceeded to walk on the sandy trail. Dust flew up as she took steps, which made her giggle. She stamped her feet, bringing up more dust, and her giggles continued. She walked faster, looking back at the dust that erupted from her footsteps. Then, she started to run as the dust formed into little clouds behind her. She burst into laughter, and ran even faster. She could feel the air rushing past her fur, and her heart was filled with glee at the strange clouds that formed behind her. She still looked back at the dust clouds when-

_WHACK!_

She ran into what she thought was an oddly narrow tree, and tumbled onto her hindquarters. She rubbed her head, muttering about the tree that had suddenly stepped in front of her. But, upon looking at it, she noticed it was the same color as the sky, with a thick black root. She poked it, and jumped when it moved. She looked up and was staring into a pale, hairless face. She scrambled a few steps backward, and studied the strange creature before her. The creature had long black fur growing from the top of its head all the way down to its shoulders, covering one eye, and was wearing an unusual assortment of items. Something black covered its torso and arms down to the elbow; it's crotch and legs were covered in something dirty and blue, and its feet were black. It looked young, and its dark brown eyes glowered at her, obviously unhappy with her crashing into it.

_ "Uhhh, sorry. But, it's nice to meet you!"_ she said to the stranger with a sheepish grin.

What she didn't know was that it all came out: "Cyndaaaa-quil. Cyn, cynda, Cyndaquil!" to the creature. It still glared.

"A Cyndaquil. How funny," it said sarcastically. It rubbed its temples and sighed.

_Great. A Cyndaquil just ran into you, Anonimo. Who leaves their Cyndaquil running around?_

Anonimo (who, apparently, is a boy) looked around, trying to listen for anybody calling for a Cyndaquil, whether by a ridiculous nickname or just "Cyndaquil." A few minutes of him idly turning his head and hearing no human voice made him realize that nobody was calling for a Cyndaquil. He looked down at the baby Pokémon, and saw that it didn't try to run away, only staring back at him. Cyndaquil sneezed and out blew smoke. And not a meager amount either. He smirked and rubbed his chin.

_Cyndaquil are pretty difficult to catch in the wild,_ he thought. _From the looks of that smoke, that thing might just be powerful. If I can catch it, I'll train it to become an unstoppable Typhlosion. I'm certain I'll do much better than my sister did with hers._ He took a few steps back, pulling out a Pokeball. Cyndaquil stood there, confused at the sudden appearance of the half-red and half-white sphere that the creature now held in its spider-like paw.

"Go, Croconaw!" he yelled as he threw the Pokeball. It opened up and a stream of energy came out. The energy formed into a blue and yellow Pokémon, which sported big jaws with teeth sticking out and red spines. He promptly took a steadfast position, and stared straight at the Pokémon before him. With a sigh, he mumbled, _"Anonimo, are you serious? I might end up killing the poor little one..."_

_"Huh?"_ Cyndaquil asked.

"Croconaw, Water Gun!" Anonimo commanded.

The battle began so fast that she had barely any time to comprehend it. She found herself soaked from water spewing out of Croconaw's mouth, and hardly a second later, getting slashed by the claws he wielded. When she tried slapping him away, he simply spun around and smacked her with his tail, sending her stumbling into a nearby bush.

She panted from the sudden attacks that had just occurred. Why was this strange reptile attacking her? She had not done anything to him! Still, she couldn't think straight when Croconaw was continually attacking her. She heard the strange creature barking orders to him, so she figured that there was some connection there. Still, she found no point in this fighting; it was just mean!

A set of jaws nabbed her on the head, and she squirmed as she was being picked up by her opponent. Her heart pounded as she feared for what the larger Pokémon had in store for her. She wanted to beg him not to listen to the other creature, but she had a gut feeling that he would not listen. So, she continued to squirm.

Croconaw casually tossed her into the dirt, and Cyndaquil ended up getting a mouthful. She spat out what was now mud, and she trembled as she forced herself up. A lump in her throat formed as she tried to understand just why these boys were bullying her so. She felt another Water Gun shove her back, and she rolled back onto a patch of grass. Her eyes grew misty, and she coughed from the dust that was blown her way by the wind.

Seeing her opponent approach her, she quaked with the greatest timidity, shaking her head as to signal her forfeit. She didn't want to fight anymore. But from the look of things, Croconaw wasn't letting up, and seemed ready to attack once more. However, along with her fear, a new emotion swam within her, and she felt a strange surge in her body. She knew they weren't going to stop; she'd just have to stop them herself.

_Blast, it's weak._ Anonimo thought, grinding his teeth at the way-too-easy battle. It wasn't putting up much of a fight, instead being tossed around like a ragdoll by Croconaw. He groaned, thinking that he might as well have given up on the thing, when suddenly...

"_QUIIIIIILLLLLL!"_

Anonimo's eyes widened at the sight. The Cyndaquil's back had just burst into flame, and fire it generated was not one to sneeze at. It was a tremendous blaze that burned bright enough to make a Charizard jealous, and it burned with more ferocity than any other Fire Type he had seen. Cyndaquil had a furious glower that rivaled a Gyarados, and the spirit she possessed held a strange resemblance to another Pokémon that Anonimo had known before. And from the look on Croconaw's face, it was as if she was a Legendary trapped in a Cyndaquil's body.

_Get away from me!_ "Cyndaquil Cynda!" she yelled. She opened her mouth, revealing a mouthful of flames intended for Croconaw. The Big Jaw Pokémon was soon met with a such a tremendous Flamethrower, he was forcefully pushed into a thick tree. Upon impact, Croconaw felt a painful thump on his side, and the trunk he had hit snapped like a twig and fell onto the ground with a crash. When it was over, Croconaw was laying against a splintered stump, cracking an eye open to gaze at the little Fire Type that had nearly killed him in one blow.

_"Oh, heavens... how did she do that?"_ he mumbled.

Anonimo gawked at the fiery Pokémon with utter amazement. That little Cyndaquil had weakened Croconaw greatly and snapped a huge tree in half with just one attack! It was incredible; if he were to tell anyone about this, they would just laugh him off. But it didn't matter, he knew what he saw, so he made the decision. He'll keep battling until it's weak enough to be captured.

"Croconaw, Hydro Pump!" he shouted.

Croconaw stood up slowly, with trembling legs, and then stumbled face first back into the dirt. He was still shaken by Cyndaquil's surprise attack, and he wasn't sure if he could take another. However, upon noticing Anonimo's glare, and the trainer's fingers curling around a thick coil around his belt, Croconaw quickly stood up, paced himself, and then shot a torrent of water from it's mouth.

Cyndaquil, for some reason, didn't dodge, and was directly hit by the Hydro Pump. Her flame went out quickly, and she stood there, screaming. She had completely forgot how she had unleashed her fury on her opponent in the first place, and she found herself back at square one; the helpless little victim. She stumbled under the water pressure, and laid there drenched when it was over. She barely had time to catch her breath when...

"Go, Pokeball!"

She felt something hit her head, and she felt her body buzzing. She saw herself glow, and change shape into a fast moving ray. In an instant, she was in the Pokeball. The ball shook for a moment, then stopped. Cyndaquil had been captured.

* * *

Anonimo lined up his Pokemon in a row. Croconaw, Golbat, Ursaring, Gloom, Tyranitar, and the new capture, Cyndaquil. They stood erect, like soldiers, though Cyndaquil was just copying the others, thinking it was a game. However, it was a very boring game, and her mind began to wander. She leaned forward to exchange glances with Croconaw, who tipped his head to tell her to get back into position. The others looked bored, apparently from having heard these instructions before.

"Listen up!" he explained. "You are my Pokemon, and you obey my rules. I have five. First, whatever I say, goes. Second, for wins you will be rewarded, losses, punished. Third, if you misbehave during the punishment, the next one will be steeper. Fourth, you will do _my_ training method. Anything else, and you will be punished! And fifth-"

He had not finished when he noticed Cyndaquil had wandered off and was playing with Butterfree. With a fierce growl, he stormed toward the frivolous Fire Mouse and her insect friends. The Butterfree had barely glanced at the angry trainer storming toward them and instantly flew away in fright. Cyndaquil looked up them in confusion, and turned, only to see a quick picture of a pair of legs and the other Pokémon with their backs turned, bar Croconaw, who held a grimace in her direction. No sooner did she see this picture than she felt a foot plowing onto her belly and sending sharp pains through her stomach and ribs, sending her flying back and landing on the hard ground. She coughed violently, clutched at her stomach with both arms, and writhed in agony. She breathed heavily as she heard him snap, "No goofing around!"

She still laid there as Anonimo turned around toward his other Pokémon. She looked at Croconaw, who rubbed his temples and sighed in resignation. It seemed like he knew something she didn't. As curious as she was, she was afraid to ask. Anonimo gave the Water Type a sharp glare, and the Pokémon straightened up, and that told her that talking to Croconaw might be dangerous at this time.

She stood up on wobbly legs and faltered, and still coughed. Her stomach churned, and she felt as if all in that organ was going to spew out of her mouth just like her Flamethrower. She looked at her trainer again, wondering...

_What did he do that for?_


	5. Not Up to Standard

Anonimo faced his opponent on the other side of the battlefield. This challenger was bold, and cocky. He chuckled to himself. _This is going to be too easy,_ he thought. Any Pokémon he had, he was certain that it could defeat whatever the challenger dished out. His smirk still adorning his face, he waited to see what Pokemon his opponent had.

The opponent tossed a Pokeball in the air. "Go, Venusaur!" he called. Out came a large blue-green Pokemon, with a huge pink flower on its back. It stretched, grunted, and stomped, with apparent relief at being release, as well as a bold spirit that it obtained from its trainer.

"VENUSUAR!"

Anonimo studied it for a moment, and took out a Pokeball. He decided to test his new Pokémon's abilities and see if the runt could utilize them in battle. He recalled how powerful it was when he battled it, and he was certain it could defeat the much larger Pokémon.

"Come out!" he shouted. Out came little Cyndaquil, who yawned and looked at her surroundings, and then to the Venusaur in front of her.

"Cynda?" she muttered, confused. Who was this big fella in front of her?

There was a seemingly slow second for the trainers to come up with their strategies regarding their Pokémon. Cyndaquil had the type advantage, but Venusaur had the evolution advantage. Then, when that second passed, the battle began.

"Venusaur, use razor leaf!" the opponent called out.

"Dodge it!" Anonimo yelled.

The Pokémon followed suit. Cyndaquil had just barely leaped out of the way of a large spinning leaf aimed at her. She turned and watched in wonder as it somehow evaded Anonimo and sliced the tree behind him in half. She bit her lip, knowing very well that it could have been her.

"Use vine whip!"

She had little time to react before a vine suddenly whipped her, sending her flying back. She rolled on the ground for a few seconds before slowing to a stop with her face in the dirt. Spitting out the dirt, she quaked as she lifted herself onto all four paws, and then upgraded to standing on two feet. Then she noticed another Vine Whip coming at her. She heard Anonimo's command to dodge it, then obeyed. As the commands were called, the Pokemon battled. Mostly, it was Venusaur attacking and Cyndaquil dodging.

"Flamethrower!" Anonimo called out.

Cyndaquil paused a moment and tried to light her flame, but nothing happened. With a gasp, she tried once more, but it only resulted in her back hurting. With an annoyed grunt, she tried to force the Flamethrower to happen, but with only a wisp of smoke coming out of her mouth. As she panicked about not lighting her flame, a razor leaf slammed into her. Her body skidded on the hard ground. She shakenly lifted herself onto one paw, rubbing her scraped cheek. Whimpering, she didn't noticed Venusaur firing more leaves at her, and when she felt it, she had barely any time to dodge before getting hit by another leaf, and another, and another. All she could do was cower under fire.

"ARGH!" Anonimo growled. Where was that power it demostrated before?

"Tackle it!" he yelled. Cyndaquil obeyed and tackled him as hard as she could, but Venusaur didn't take much damage, even smirking as he imagined a comical _boing_ sound. He simply vine-whipped her away once she hit the ground, and chuckled at her pathetic attempts at battling. Casually, Venusaur Razor Leafed and Vine Whipped Cyndaquil until she was trembling on her feet. From the looks of things, not much longer until the battle was lost thanks to Cyndaquil.

The opponent smirked, thinking he had won.

"Venusaur, Solarbeam!"

Venusaur obeyed and began collecting sunlight with its flower. He chuckled at the little Pokémon swaying like a Bellsprout.

"_Did your trainer think he really could win with such a little Pokémon like you? C'mon, you can't even use flamethrower, you weakling!_" he said, roaring with laughter. Cyndaquil just stood there, still swaying from the barrage she had received. She held back tears and breathed heavily as those words stung her. She didn't know what to say to him.

When he was all charged up, he fired. The solarbeam seemed to race toward Cyndaquil at blinding speed. She squeezed her eyes shut as she made one last desperate attempt to avoid his attack. Her fur had been damp in sweat, and it quickly evaporated as the Solarbeam rolled closer. Her heart pounded against her chest, and time slowed down for her as she panicked.

However, with Venusaur's words still echoing in her mind, that familiar surge of power erupted within her, and her thoughts shifted from acceptance of being defeated by the Solarbeam to a fierce determination to prove that Venusaur wrong. She was no weakling... she knew she wasn't. And she would prove it by taking advantage of the seemingly slow time.

The light was blinding as it passed over where she was standing. Or, where she _had been_ standing. Cyndaquil had vanished into thin air! Both Anonimo and the other trainer were in a state of shock over the sudden disappearance of the Fire Mouse, and Venusaur showed considerable tension over wondering if he had accidentally vaporized her.

"What the-? Where'd it go?" the opponent shouted, confused.

Venusaur felt the wind blow on his cheek as he stared at the small footprints that Cyndaquil had left. There were no others around it, as if she had not moved. However, there seemed to be a bit of charred ground behind the footprints. As Venusaur attempted a closer look, a powerful Flame Wheel suddenly hit him from above. It shoved him into the ground with such force, he soon found himself stuck. Then, he felt a pair of small feet land on top of him.

"What?!" the opponent cried.

Both Anonimo and the other trainer gazed in awe at the culprit of the Flame Wheel, Cyndaquil. Her back was home to roaring flames, those that would be more at home on her evolved forms. Her countenance had transformed from fear and confusion to an aura of power, confidence, and anger. Never before had a little Cyndaquil struck so much fear into the hearts of humans and a Venusaur. She leapt off Venusaur's head and turned to face him, giving him a spiteful glare that he wouldn't soon forget.

"Quil, Cyndaquil-quil, Cynda?!" _So, I'm a weakling, am I?!_ she shouted.

"Now it can use fire attacks!" Anonimo uttered. "Cyndaquil, give it a powerful Flamethrower!"

"Cynda...quiiiilllllllllll!" She spewed enormus flames out of her mouth, engulfing Venusaur in seconds. She had never heaved so much fire in one sitting, even when she had battled Anonimo's Croconaw. When she ran out of breath, she stopped her flamethrower and watched the flames take effect. When the fire had disappeared, she gave a confident smirk. Venusaur was knocked out.

* * *

Cyndaquil enjoyed her meal, as it was a reward for winning the battle. It contained all the wonderful flavors she enjoyed, as well as some new ones that she was eager to try. Never before had a party graced her little tongue, and she hoped that all of her subsequent meals would be this good. As she munched happily, Croconaw spoke to her.

"So, you were lucky enough to win your first battle?" he asked.

"It was not luck. I got skills!" she replied with her mouth full.

Croconaw sighed. "While I do admire your pluck, you're not going to win every battle. I suggest not getting so cocky, lest some other Pokémon decides to humiliate you."

"Are you saying that there's Pokémon out there that can beat me? Nuh-uh, I just beat a big bad... um... flower-toad thingy..."

"Venusaur."

"Yeah, that was it!"

Croconaw rolled his eyes. "You have an impressive first win, but Venusaur is not the most powerful Pokémon around. Look, every battle's not going to be like the situation where it seems like you're going to lose, and then you turn things around and suddenly win. One of these days, you're going to lose."

"Oh, Croconaw, you're funny. I'm really powerful! There's no way I'll lose!" she said, grinning.

* * *

Little Cyndaquil couldn't have been more wrong. In her next battle, she was taken out with a Dynamic Punch.

After that, Stone Edge had knocked her out. And the next day, it was Seismic Toss.

Hydro Pump was no fun to lose to. Neither was Avalanche. Nor was Double Edge. In fact, no attack was fun to lose to.

And for may battles after, she kept losing to various Pokémon. She had wanted to prove Croconaw wrong, but she had no evidence to support her argument that she was "really powerful." In fact, as the days rolled by, she felt herself become weaker and weaker, with no spontaneous turnaround fire attacks. She had lost so much, she had kept track of the attacks that had knocked her out.

She sensed a pattern between her battles and her relaxation time. She never felt very relaxed; just very hungry. Every time she lost, she was not allowed dinner. She was also given more training time and more strenuous exercises to do. Her training was difficult due to her hunger pangs and the loud, distracting rumbles that they made. She attempted pleading pouts toward Anonimo for food, but all she got each time from him was, "Ah, so you want to eat, Cyndaquil, hmm?"

She'd nod eagerly every time, hearing the so-called sincerity in his voice. Then, he'd pull out a little spongy bread-from what Croconaw told her, it was a piece of a waffle-and wiggle it above her face until she attempted a jump, which made her little legs give out. And then, he'd throw it a good distance away, just to see if she could ran far enough to snatch it.

She dreaded the run every time. Most times, she would attempt to fetch it. Her tries usually resulted in her legs giving out under her, and thus getting kicked hard enough by Anonimo for a bruise to appear, or a wild Pokémon to snatch it before she reached it. When she attempted to attack the Pokémon, she lost, and so she was punished by being tethered to a nearby tree, and being spat on.

On the other hand, when she did manage to get the waffle piece, she savored it as much as she could, not knowing when she'll get food again.

* * *

So, there she sat, tied to a tree. The rope was too tight, making each move a potential rope burn on her neck. Her stomach rumbled loudly, which was a sound she had become accustomed to. She had hardly anything to eat since her victory against the Venusaur. Only those waffle scraps she managed to snatch whenever she found the strength to, but even then, they couldn't keep her going enough to win a battle. She eyed the others with envy, and most of the other Pokémon ignored her. The only one who didn't was Croconaw, who'd glance between her and his food, only eating when Anonimo gave a sharp eye to him. Cyndaquil growled.

_It's not fair! Why do they eat while I sit here and starve?!_ she thought. The wind blew, and she shivered. Even though it was a fairly warm day, she felt like she was freezing. She coughed and shivered some more, flashbacks from what happened during the Gym Battle earlier. She didn't see what had happened coming, and she wished that it hadn't had happened.

She was battling a Dewgong during the battle. The Dewgong kept going underwater every time she tried an attack. Her Swift missed, her Tackle missed, her Quick Attack missed, everything missed! She had been getting terribly frustrated during the entire thing, but she was exhausted, and all she wanted was a nap. She took short breaks to cough, and she weakly dodged any thing the Dewgong dished out.

As they battled, Dewgong had rammed its head into the ice to startle her. However, that headbutt was a little too hard, and the ice had cracked underneath her feet. Before she knew it, she plunged underwater, sinking in the cold depths. She had heard Anonimo shouting for her to swim upward to continue the battle. She tried by moving her arms and paddling upwards, but not only did the freezing water slow down her already weak body, there was an important fact neglected: Cyndaquil can't swim. So, cold and helpless, she sank, water was pouring into her lungs, and everything went black.

When she woke up later, she was in a Pokemon Center, being treated. In the other room, she heard Anonimo and the gym leader arguing. She couldn't tell what about, though. She didn't care; the warmth of the lamp and blankets around her felt like heaven, and she cuddled within the quilt, smiling in sweet bliss. She felt a sweet swelling of joy, and wished to never leave this bed.

That wish didn't come true, for they had left the Pokemon Center that evening, despite the protests of Nurse Joy. She was tied a rope that was tied to the tree, and the itching and burning of the rope just made things worse. Her temperature dropped, and her misery rose. She sighed, still feeling cold, and still hungry. She rocked back and forth.

_"Please, Anonimo, please put me back in my Pokeball where it's warm..."_


	6. In Sickness

More days had passed, and Cyndaquil still hadn't fully recovered from the Gym incident. Even so, she was still made to train, and she expected another bruise for failure. Just one look from Anonimo would make her flinch, but she knew if she wanted his respect, not to mention food, she'd have to be strong enough to win a battle. But how could she do that when she was constantly hungry and weak?

She and the others followed Anonimo up on the hill. They had no idea where they were headed, all they knew it was for training. Cyndaquil fell behind of her much stronger teammates, and out of all of them, she only spotted Croconaw looking back at her. He only kept going when he noticed Anonimo's disapproving glare at him. Moving forward, Croconaw noticed the glare being shifted to Cyndaquil.

As she ascended the hill, she felt worse than she'd ever been. Her face burned with fever, as if her flames had decided to burn inside her cheeks and forehead instead of exploding out of her back. Chills were running through the rest of her body, bringing to mind the ice water that she nearly drowned in at the Gym. She had trouble breathing through her nose, but when she breathed through her mouth, her throat felt like it had Beedrill constantly jabbing the inside of it. And lastly, her arms felt limp, and her legs felt ready to give out.

_Can't I skip training today?_ she thought. _I don't feel so good..._ She paced slower and slower, falling further behind the other Pokémon. She silently wished one of the others would turn back and carry her, but she doubted that it would happen, since Anonimo had them under his thumb. She knew she needed to rest, but the thought of yet another bruise from Anonimo and the foreboding lack of dinner if she didn't obey him. So she kept walking, even when she felt like collapsing.

When she caught up with the others, they had stopped at the top of the hill. She took the opportunity to fall into a exhausted heap, and finding the dirt oddly very comfortable. She panted, then she remembered having a sore throat, so she stopped gasping and put her paw to her neck. "_All I want is a nap..."_ she mumbled, her vision blurring. She had just started falling asleep when she felt a painful jolt at her side. She screamed out in pain and her paw swiftly clutched at her side. She knew she had been kicked yet again, and she nervously looked up at Anonimo's face.

"That's for being slow and falling asleep," he snarled, pointing to a certain spot.

She pulled herself from her heap and walked to where he pointed. The throbbing pain in her side kept her from walking faster, and she was inwardly murmuring about how another bruise was added to her collection. She tried to sigh, but a raspy cough escaped her throat. When she made it, she noticed the others were holding stones. _I think I should've got a stone... _ she thought. Then she noticed that Croconaw looked a little uncomfortable.

Anonimo paced in front of them, eyeing them one by one with the intensity of a drill sergeant."Since Cyndaquil here is having problems dodging, let's help it learn," he proclaimed. He pointed at the Fire Mouse, and growled, "Throw the rocks and see how well it dodges. We do want it to evolve, right?"

"Naw?!" Croconaw's large jaw dropped at Anonimo's suggestion, and he mournfully looked at the fragile Cyndaquil.

"QUIL?!" _What?!_ She barely had time to react before a rock plowed into her forehead. _Ow..._ She swiftly turned and felt the results. The area where the rock slammed into was beginning to swell, and from how it felt, it wsa like another addition to her bruise collection, if not the start of a _bump _collaction. Even softly touching it hurt. Then another rock hit her back hard enough to knock her over. She got up with trembling arms, and she swayed once she stood up. Before she knew it, another rock was coming at her. Without thinking, she sidestepped from its path, with the rock barely grazing her skin.

"Keep throwing! It needs to learn to dodge!" Anonimo shouted.

The Pokémon obeyed, and none of them even held back. Croconaw knew that a flimsy throw would get him in trouble, but he found another way to avoid being a part of Cyndaquil's pain. He purposefully missed her, certain that Anonimo wouldn't notice that he was trying not to hit her. However, if he could stop the others, he could, and sometimes a rock he threw would hit her. It pained him to see such a bright, young life reduced to a weak, miserable mess, thanks to her trainer and his Pokémon.

A shower of rocks came after her as it started to rain. Being a Fire Type, the rain stung her as she was dodging the rocks. Some rocks she evaded with ease, even in her sickness; but there were some that she couldn't avoid, and as such, there were more bruises and bumps appearing on her body. Some of the rocks were big, which could result in some serious injuries, and some of them were small, but could give her an acute pain if they landed on her. She was quickly running out of breath, and was reduced to painful wheezing, but had no time to rest. If she did so, she would get hurt. Either way, this exercise was hurting her.

It was an hour of this before Anonimo and the Pokemon stopped throwing rocks. The little Fire Mouse had emerged less injured than they thought she would. Croconaw breathed a sigh of relief, thanking his deity that Cyndaquil had survived. However, there was still the matter of her illness and the bumps, bruises, and lacerations that dotted her body. He had a gut feeling that her next battle was going to be awful.

Cyndaquil fell forward and caught herself, grateful for the end of that horrid exercise. She let out rasping coughs and breathed heavily, and spittle dripped from her mouth, concealed by the rain. Her arms were struggling to keep holding her up, visibly shaking, and she once again felt like collapsing. Anonimo walked toward her and stopped short of her. When she looked up at him, he chuckled.

"Well, well, well, it looks like you dodged most of them. I don't usually do this, but, have some of this." He held out some Pokémon Food, which Cyndaquil had been yearning for since her first loss. She happily took it and, even though it was soggy from the rain, devoured it quickly.

* * *

This time, Anonimo was battling a new trainer, who had just started his journey. The young boy was excited to be on a journey, as Anonimo could tell by his hopping. However, he was also nervous about his first battle. Anonimo had eagerly taken this easy prey, ready to crush him within a few seconds. The boy took out a Pokeball, which was probably his only Pokémon.

"Come out, Chikorita!" the young boy said. Out came a perky creature, light green with buds around its neck and a large leaf on it's head. It opened its large eyes, revealing red-colored irises. It had a huge smile on its face, eager for adventures that it was sure that it will have with its trainer.

"Chiko!" it replied.

_This time, for sure,_ Anonimo thought. "Cyndaquil, it's time for you to battle!" he yelled, throwing a Pokeball. Out came the Pokemon, ready to battle. At least that's what she thought.

The boy and Chikorita stared for a moment, trying to comprehend the horror before them. They had never expected to see a Cyndaquil that was so bruised, so broken, and so undernourished that it looked ready to keel over. While the Fire Type was trying to put on a fierce front, it was clear that this Pokémon was not fit to even battle a rookie. The boy stepped back.

"What's the matter?! Afraid to lose?!" Anonimo taunted.

The boy shook his head. "No, I don't want to battle." he replied. Chikorita shook its head, signifying that it didn't want to battle either.

"Why not?!" Anonimo snapped.

The boy swallowed and said, "I can't battle a Pokemon that is sick. It won't be fair."

Chikorita nodded, obviously agreeing. Cyndaquil tried to keep herself ready for battle, but she was wavering. _"Do they really need to argue? I'm a Fire-Type, which means I can beat you!_" she said, acting tough.

Chikorita wasn't convinced. _"Cyndaquil, my trainer's right. It won't be fair if a completely healthy Pokemon beats a sick Pokemon!"_

Cyndaquil wouldn't believe it. _"I'm not sick!"_ She knocked Chikorita a few feet away. Chikorita quickly got up and stared at the angry little Fire-Type. Cyndaquil sure didn't want to give up. Or was she just trying to please her trainer?

Anonimo smiled. "Cyndaquil, use Swift!"

Cyndaquil followed suit, releasing a barrage of stars from her mouth. Chikorita took the attack, its trainer not saying a thing.

_"Cyndaquil! Don't you see he's not treating you right?"_ Chikorita cried out in vain. Anonimo called for Cyndaquil to tackle, and she tackled Chikorita, though in her state, she didn't cause much damage. Chikorita simply shook it off, and bit its lip. Cyndaquil looked incredibly frustrated, and attempted to tackle again.

"Hey! Make your Chikorita attack! This isn't any fun!" Anonimo yelled at the boy.

"No! Neither of us want to battle!" the boy replied.

Cyndaquil kept attacking Chikorita, who never attempted a single attack. Chikorita took the attacks, and Cyndaquil was confident that she would win. Meanwhile, Chikorita was beginning to worry for Cyndaquil's health and sanity, and took bits of open spaces to openly glare at Anonimo. Even a newly-obtained starter Pokémon could see that the dark-haired trainer was the abusive kind.

"_You're afriad your attacks won't work, huh?_" she taunted.

"_No, I just think you need a little more rest between battles!_" Chikorita answered.

The boy knew he had to stop this battle. If Chikorita's words to its opponent wasn't working, he'd have to take action to stop before the little Cyndaquil killed herself trying to attack. So, with a crack in his voice, the new trainer called, "I forfeit!"

Anonimo snickered. "I don't think so. This battle will not stop until one of our Pokemon is down! And if you think of returning yours, I'll make sure you never battle again!"

The boy lowered his head. He could tell from the tone of the older trainer's voice that he was serious, and that the poor boy would have to deal with a stalker that was seven years older than he was. He looked at the Cyndaquil. She looked like she could be defeated in one attack. Even though it pained him to actually win this battle, he didn't want to be stalked by the creepy teenager. With a pit in his stomach, he thought, _I guess I have no choice. _"Chikorita, use tackle!" he shouted.

Chikorita turned its head and stared in disbelief. It shook its head. _I won't do it!_

"We need to stop this battle, Chikorita. Just do it!"

Chikorita could sense its trainer's pain, and then nodded solemnly. Reluctantly, it slowly turned its head, closed its eyes, and ran.

Cyndaquil laughed at the attack that was called. _"Do you think that'll beat-"_ Chikorita slammed into Cyndaquil, sending her flying. Chikorita didn't expect its tackle to be that strong, but remembered how sick poor Cyndaquil was. Both trainers and Chikorita watched and Cyndaquil landed in a heap on the ground, unconscious. All stared at the defeated Pokémon, the boy and his Chikorita frowning in shame, and Anonimo in wide-eyed shock.

"NO! How-?!" Anonimo started.

"Cyndaquil wasn't feeling well, so it was knocked out more easily," the boy said. "You shouldn't have used a sick Pokémon to battle us; in fact, why didn't you take it to the Pokémon Center?!"

Anonimo stormed toward the boy and grabbed him by the shirt. When the two were face to face, the older trainer snarled, "Do not tell me how to train my Pokémon. It's none of your business whether I take Cyndaquil to the Pokémon Center or not!" He threw the boy on the ground, and continued, "Now, you train your little Chikorita your way, and I'll train my Pokémon my way; you got that, twerp?"

While the slacked-jawed boy gazed in horror at the threatening teen standing above him, Chikorita sorrowfully looked at Cyndaquil for a moment, then turned its head away, a lump forming in its throat, whispering, "_I'm sorry."_

* * *

Cyndaquil was tied to a tree again, sleeping out in the cold night. No food for losing, again, and for a reason she couldn't understand, sleeping out in the open, on a cold and cloudy night. She shivered and sneezed, and then wiped her nose. She felt like crying, but from what she learned, crying was for the weak. She didn't want to seem weaker than she already was, but her track record of losing indicated otherwise.

_Why me?_ she thought, picking at the rope around her neck. She couldn't eat, she couldn't win a battle, she couldn't play; she couldn't do anything! And during this night, she couldn't sleep.

The dream she had when she had attempted sleep wasn't a pleasant one. She was flying through a dark forest, being chased by humans in funny machines. She dodged every tree that came her way, and when she almost hit a tree, she dodged just before hitting it, looking into the eyes of a Noctowl hanging out in it. She momentarily paused while floating over a hill, and she took that moment to gaze at the forest in front of her, look up at the bright half moon, and hear heavy breathing coming from behind her. Then, for some reason, she screamed, and then started flying again into the other half of the forest. When she came to another opening, she sprang forward, and fell down a cliff that seemed to magically appear there. She tried to grab the ledge, but missed, and she fell into the deep fog, looking up at a shadowed figure reaching for her. With one glance to where she fell, there laid a boulder, and she was plummeting toward it at high speed.

She leapt forward and screamed, and was suddenly back in her campsite. Her sudden reaction had shifted the rope wrapped around her neck, and a choke and a burn was her next unpleasant sensation. She plopped back onto her hindquarters, rubbing her eyes, and before she knew it, a clump of dirt hit her in the face.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to sleep!" Anonimo roared. He was peeking out from his tent, with a cranky expression and a head of messy hair. When Cyndaquil nodded to him to assure him that she'll be quiet, he slipped back inside, grumbling, and presumably fell back asleep.

Cyndaquil sighed and shifted her in her spot against the tree trunk. She whimpered softly when looking around in the dark forest, and trembled at the thought of a larger wild Pokémon coming out of nowhere and eating her. Biting her lip to keep herself from crying, she wiped her eyes and looked up to stare at the clouds.

There was an opening that showed a cluster of stars. She pointed at them, to count them, counting about thirteen stars in all. Bored, tired, and yet unable to sleep, she connected them into a shape, and found that the shape looked somewhat like Croconaw, but bigger. She remembered a time when Croconaw had told her what he evolved into. So, she thought to herself...

_Is that a Feraligatr?_


	7. The Storm

Cyndaquil woke up that morning to crackle of thunder in the distance. She stretched, and attempted to stand up, though she was weak from the last few months since she met Anonimo. She felt another harsh tickle in her throat, which forced her to cough. Most of the other symptoms of her illness had disappeared, but she still had a sore throat and she was low on energy. She looked over the hill and saw a great thundercloud in the distance. When she saw the flash of lightning, she gulped, ignoring the stinging.

_That cloud looks threatening. Anonimo better get out of here, quick,_ she thought, seeing that the cloud was rolling towards their area. Despite her throat feeling like needles, she began squealing loudly, in hopes that her trainer would get the message.

Anonimo crawled out of the tent, rubbing his eyes before shooting a glare toward the noisy Pokémon. Even when her body language should have informed him that she was distressed, he growled, picked up a rock and threw it at her. Much to his relief, Cyndaquil stopped her squealing when the rock nailed her on the eye. Even so, he still glared at her, yelling, "Shut up, you dumb Pokemon!"

He went back into the tent, and started stripping his pajamas off, grumbling all the while. He pulled on his usual black shirt and dirty jeans, and then proceeded to put on his shoes. He crawled back out a few minutes later, now dressed and smelled the air. Liking the damp smell, he snatched the five occupied Pokeballs on his belt, and released the Pokémon, with full intent to train them. He glanced at the black-eyed Cyndaquil, who had resumed squealing.

_That Cyndaquil has a lot of nerve to defy me. It couldn't even defeat that Chikorita yesterday!_ Anonimo thought. Annoyed by the continued squealing, he strode to the Fire Mouse, casually kicked her, and then growled a spiteful warning to her. He turned around and went back to the other Pokémon, who displayed little emotion, with the exception of Croconaw, who looked like he had been kicked.

Anonimo delivered a kick to Croconaw's side, and said, "You know as well I do that the little rat deserved it."

Croconaw winced at the kick, but still stood. When Anonimo turned away from him, he shot a spiteful glare in the trainers direction, thinking, _She didn't deserve it. You're just a bad trainer._

Cyndaquil's eye stung and she felt like throwing up again. Yet all she could muster was dry heaves that only produced spittle. A bad taste in her mouth accompanied her heaves, and she felt as if her arms and legs were to fall off and leave her lying on the dirt. The rope around her neck still burned, and she'd choke every time she heaved. Her small, open wounds felt like bee stings, and her head still hurt from the battle the day before.

Trying not to cry, as that was a sign of weakness, she heard another rumble of thunder. She glanced back to the thundercloud, and noticed that it had rolled closer to them. Biting her lip, she hoped that Anonimo would just pack up and take shelter from the coming storm.

* * *

Anonimo was still training when the storm reached them, and he didn't care when he had begun to rain. He thought it would pass, like all storms do. However, even when the lightning flashed or the thunder rolled, he continued to train his Pokémon, even the more reluctant Croconaw. The Big Jaw Pokémon was continually glaring at him and shaking his head, wondering if the trainer was selectively blind to lightning or deaf to thunder, and secretly wishing the creep would get struck.

Cyndaquil, on the other hand, was very actively panicking. She pulled as hard as she could on the rope, while her feet trudged in the mud puddle that had formed at the base of the tree. She also was wondering if Anonimo was deaf, but with more of a sense of worry. She tried squealing again, but her voice was drowned out by the rain. Frustrated, she tried gnawing on the rope, but her teeth hurt when she chomped down on the rope, making her yelp. The rain fell even harder, yet Anonimo paid no mind. Once again, Cyndaquil pulled with all her might, hoping the rope would break, despite how weak she felt.

_BOOM!_

She spun around quickly, giving herself a rope burn. It stung her for a moment, but she paid more attention to the tree that had been struck by lightning. It was charred completly, and had been split in half. It was no more than a mile away, which terrified her. Another tree was struck, in the same manner, but closer. Cyndaquil knew she had to break free or Anonimo was done for!As the lightning came closer and closer, with thunder booming ever louder, she struggled to break free from the rope, hoping to warn Anonimo before it's too late.

Meanwhile, the other Pokemon stopped and stared at the lightning that was closing in on them. They watched with awe as it hit one tree after another. When the thunder boomed, they all realized that they were prime targets, and all of them ducked for cover. Croconaw still eyed the continued flashes, his heart pounding. He anticipated the lightning to hit either Anonimo, who stood straight up, or Cyndaquil, who was tied to the tree.

Anonimo, getting frustrated, began to yell at them. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?! I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO STOP!"

Cyndaquil heard him yell at the other Pokémon as she pulled. She noticed them ducking for cover, knowing Anonimo wouldn't return them to their Pokeballs. She saw Anonimo pull a whip from his belt, much to the dismay of the ducking Pokémon. He was not realizing that a lightning bolt just struck over the hill, with any offshoots surprisingly missing him. She knew he was next.

She felt that familiar surge that hadn't been within her since the battle with the Venusaur. With a newfound determination giving her the strength she lacked, she grabbed the rope around her neck, and then snapped it with a single pull. Her neck hurt from the rope burns she received, but it didn't matter to her. In a rush, she broke off into a run, filled with this strange energy from within her, hoping to help her trainer. As she ran, time seemed to slow down, and the bolt of lightning that flashed above seemed to slither slowly toward its target.

Anonimo lifted his whip as a bolt of lightning appeared above him. Most Pokémon would have feared that it was too late to save their trainer; Cyndaquil didn't. With speed that seemed impossible to accomplish, she had managed to shove him out of the way just in time, with him rolling onto the ground, splattering mud all over his face. Cyndaquil was in midair when the bolt hit the replacement target, which happened to be none other than her. The lightning hit her, and that's when she felt electricity surging through her veins. Her heart raced, she sweated, and a great deal of pain overcame her. She shrieked as she felt burns erupt from within and without her, and her fur stood on end, and for a brief moment, her flames exploded out of her back in a strange reflex. In that split second, she thought she was done for.

The other five Pokémon gaped at the turn of events that happened in the blink of an eye. Croconaw tried to comprehend it, trying to figure out how the malnourished Cyndaquil managed to run fast enough to beat lightning to its target. This was the same Cyndaquil that lost so many battles, she managed to make a Magikarp look like a champion. And yet, the charred little body before them had sped to the rescue of her trainer, and succeeded. And when the little body squeaked and moved (albeit slowly, since she seemed a bit paralyzed), it was even more incredible. Croconaw stared in amazement, knowing that he'd never see an action like that again. He looked at Anonimo, hoping he had seen that and would hopefully give more respect to the little one, but much to his chagrin, the trainer had his face in the mud.

It took her a moment or two to realize that it was over, but it was difficult to believe since she still felt pain. She stood for a moment, then fell on her face. Breathing heavily, she marveled that she had survived being struck by lightning. The electricity stung her, and the rain didn't help. She laid there, stunned, and looked at the amazed faces of the other Pokémon. Smiling weakly, she attempted to stand up, but fell onto her face again. She giggled weakly, despite the buzzing in her ears.

Anonimo wiped the mud from his face and spotted her laying where he once stood. He glanced at the tree where she was once tied to, and there it was, the snapped rope. His gaze fell on her once again, with visible breathing and audible giggling. Croconaw was stepping forward, and trying to help her up, but he pulled back after touching her, and sucked on his finger to ease some pain. After realizing that she had managed to pull free from her restraint somehow, his thoughts churned out the message, _It pushed me. It broke free just to push me! And I bet that was practice for when I'm near a cliff!_Snarling, he picked himself up, and grabbed his whip.

She finally managed to stand up, although she was still a little woozy from what happened. She felt limited in her movements, but when she saw Anonimo approaching her, she attempted to run to him for a hug, expecting a reward after saving his life. But what she didn't notice, but Croconaw did, was that his face was full of rage, and his hand gripped the whip.

_"Cyndaquil, wait!" _Croconaw cried.

Cyndaquil didn't have time to heed the warning before it happened. Something long and hard smacked her right arm, with a force that would have cracked her head open. The thing burrowed into her skin, and it felt like it hit a bone. When the thing left the new trench in her arm, it ripped pieces of flesh from it, and felt like it was going to tear her arm off. Instinctively, Cyndaquil grabbed her pain-riddled arm, trying hard not to scream. It happened within a few seconds, but it had felt longer than that. She looked up Anonimo, whose whip now had a smear of red on it.

"That's for knocking me down," he growled.

She breathed heavily and looked down, slowly relaxing her grip on her right arm, and then sneaking a look at the wound. Noticing that her left paw was also smeared red, she quickly realized what had happened. The mark was no papercut. It was terribly large and deep, just as she felt, which meant Anonimo hit pretty hard. When the wound started gushing, she clung onto it again, feeling the warm liquid against her paw. She whimpered as her blood seeped from her covered wound and trickled down her arm.

When an alarmed Croconaw rushed to help her, Anonimo noticed, and dealt the same force on the Pokémon's left eye. The force knocked him onto his hindquarters, and he ended up covering the area he had been hit, and he felt his blood seeping from his stinging eye. He sat transfixed as he watched the whip smack Cyndaquil's forehead.

"That was for losing to a little Chikorita yesterday!"

She backed up and tried to run, but the whip landed on her back.

"That's for losing every battle!"

She hated the feeling of the whip as it smacked her over and over. Each stripe left her in agony, especially since the teenager had a surprisingly strong arm. He would lash her, curse at her, and blame her for something that she couldn't help. She meet eyes with Croconaw, who had his jaw slack, and the strongest look of disbelief that she would never forget, as if beating a baby Pokémon to a pulp was new to the trainer. At this point, she realized that nobody was going to help her, not even Croconaw. She bit her lip, wishing for it to be over.

_Whack!_

"That's for sneaking food!"

_Whack!_

"That's for not training hard enough!"

_Whack!_

"That's for goofing off! That's for being so lazy! And this is for being an all-around weakling!"

_Whack! Whack! Whack!_

Anonimo had stopped to catch his breath, and he stilled glowered at the now-beaten bloody mess before him. By this point, his whip was now painted red. He scowled at his Pokémon, who all looked at him in immense, slack-jawed, shock. When he looked at Croconaw, he noticed that the Big Jaw Pokémon's face was not shock, but one that looked like he was ready to kill him. The two met eye to eye, and Anonimo simply tossed Croconaw's Pokeball toward him, and did not even move when the Pokémon crushed the Pokeball between his jaws.

"To think that you were my starter..." Anonimo sneered. "Now leave... or I'll make my healthy Pokémon kill you."

Croconaw stood up, gazing at him with the most intense combination of hurt and anger that there had ever been. Taking one last mournful glance at Cyndaquil, whose eyes were now full of tears, he started walking away, with his hurt eye covered by his claws. The other Pokémon then took the liberty of chasing him away, while Cyndaquil still cried out toward him, _"Don't leave me!"_

Now left all alone, Cyndaquil felt immense pain as she tried to stand up, and her rasping cough stung her throat worse than before. A great deal of wounds and bruises covered her body, her own blood stained her fur, and her left arm began changing colors. She felt weak from the amount of blood that seeped from her arm, and her head hurt even worse. Unable to bear the agony, her misty eyes spilled over and drenched her cheeks even more than before. While it had stopped raining sometime during the whipping, she still felt cold and wet. Anonimo who had been watching the others exile the Croconaw, laid his eyes on the pathetic mess on the ground, and snarled.

"I shouldn't have caught you. You little crybaby!" he said as he kicked her. Her face collided with the ground, and any wounds touching the dirt were rising in pain, making her cry even more.

"I thought you would evolve in no time, with that power I saw! But, I ended up with such a little weak brat like you! No one should have a Pokemon like you!" he hissed, taking out Cyndaquil's Pokeball. "And I'm going to make sure that no one else catches you."

Before she could make any sobbing protests, he had returned her.

* * *

Anonimo believed the hole was deep enough. Setting his shovel aside, he took out a Pokeball and stared at it. Pulling his hair back, he spit on it, and dropped it into the hole. He picked his shovel back up, and then shoveled the dirt back into the ground.

_This Cyndaquil will never bother anyone again,_ he thought. When he finished, he patted the dirt firmly, and with a resolute nod, he turned and walked away, not looking back. There was no reason for him to turn back; not now, not ever.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, hello everyone! How did you handle this story so far? Yeah, I know, this is depressing, especially since we've just seen our protagonist get beaten to a bloody pulp! D8 Sheesh, who gave Anonimo that whip, anyway? :(**

**And now Cyndaquil's stuck in that Pokeball... :( Decide for yourself on what that means.**

**But don't worry! This story's not over yet!**


	8. Out of the Pokeball

_Several months later..._

With an item finder in hand, the grinning young man had found a good place to dig. His shovel stabbed the soil below, and scooped a pile up. Throwing it behind him, he scooped another pile of dirt, and another. Thoughts of what he could possibly find rolled in his head, and he smiled in anticipation of just what was buried beneath him.

So when he dug up a Pokeball, his expression soured, but his curiosity spiked. What was a Pokeball doing underground?

He picked up the ball and pushed its button. It squeaked as it would when it open, but for some reason, the lid didn't budge. He pushed again; same result. After pushing it several more times, he got frustrated when it kept squeaking, but refused to open. Shoving the Pokeball into his pocket, he filled the hole he dug, and then went to a bespectacled brunette talking with other members of his group.

"Hey, Professor Elm?"

Elm turned to the ginger teenager. "What is it, Rusty?"

Rusty pulled the dirty Pokeball out of his pocket and showed him. "My item finder detected this underground, and I just dug it up. I tried opening it to see if there was a Pokémon inside, but it just refused to."

Blinking in astonishment, Elm took the Pokeball out of the trainer's hand. Pressing the button, the ball squeaked again, without opening. He pressed a couple more times to no avail. "Hmm... well, I don't know why anybody would bury one of these, Pokémon or not. If anything, the pressure of being buried for what I'm guessing is a long time is hindering its ability to open. Hm, I'll go give this to Kurt so he can fix it, and we'll see what'll happen when it opens."

* * *

Professor Elm grumbled under his breath about the lousy timing of Kurt's vacation. In the meantime, he was going to keep the Pokeball for safekeeping until the Pokeball expert returned. Aware of how dirty it was, Elm decided that a nice scrubbing would clean it up nicely. Making the ball presentable would be nice, and perhaps it would be easier to open it.

When he washed it as thoroughly as he could with his rag, he tapped the button out of curiosity, only to repeat its squeak without opening. The tired result elicited a groan from the professor.

"Agh, what Pokeball refuses to open?" he mumbled, picking up another cloth to dry it with. He was rubbing the stubborn ball when he heard footsteps striding into the lab.

"Professor Elm."

Professor Elm looked up at the owner of the familiar voice. Standing in front of him was an older professor with gray hair and a serious demeanor. A heavy silence fell, and both found themselves giving tense stares to each other. The two men stared at one another before one coughed, and the silence was broken.

"Oh, I see you're here, Professor Oak," Elm replied, resuming rubbing the Pokeball.

"Yes, I am. I believe that might be the Pokeball I've heard about," Oak said.

Elm grimaced. "You are correct. I've been cleaning this thing so it will look nice, and may be easier to open. I've tried to contact Kurt so he could see what is wrong with it, but no luck! He's not home, and at this time I cannot contact him. So, I'm stuck with this stubborn Pokeball, cleaning it, pressing the button every now and then to see if it will open, and wondering why in the world someone would even think about burying a Pokeball! If it was broken, you just throw it away, if not, then I don't see why you need to, and if there's a Pokémon inside-ugh, do I want to think about it?"

"Take it easy, Professor Elm. It could be an immature lad who could not wait to throw his broken Pokeball away," Professor Oak stated.

Professor Elm grunted. He rubbed the Pokeball carefully, glaring at it and wondering if he was going through the trouble of cleaning a broken Pokeball.

"I suppose that is true," he said grumpily. "Still, I can't help but hope that it could still work, and it could be reused. After all, it looks intact, but it just refuses to open."

"It's time underground has affected it, that's for sure." Professor Oak touched the Pokeball and stroked it. With a low hum, he said, "It's very rough. I believe you need some wax."

Professor Elm sighed and walked to the cabinet. He took out a bottle of wax, doused it a couple times on a new cloth, and put the bottle back. He walked back and started to wax the Pokeball. He was careful not to put too much, so it could still be held without slipping out of his hand. He waxed it as carefully as possible, and even was sure to double check whether it was waxed every inch evenly. After he was sure the Pokeball was smooth, he stopped and looked at the Pokeball. He tapped it once again, and it squeaked once more.

Elm sighed. "Professor Oak, I don't think it-"

He nearly jumped when he was interrupted by the Pokeball suddenly opening and shooting a beam of light. The light was bright, but he just couldn't stop staring. He couldn't believe his eyes at the sight before him.

"I don't believe it! It worked!" he exclaimed.

Professor Oak nodded, with a combination of gladness that the small machine had finally opened, and graveness at what the Pokémon inside said about the trainer who buried the ball. "Yes, and we will see what Pokémon was in it."

The beam landed on the table, taking on a new form, which both professors watched with interest. The form was small, and was slouching. There was a round body, a round head with a long nose, stubby paws, and small feet with an absence of toes. Both recognized the shape as one of the starter Pokémon that Professor Elm gave to trainers; the Fire Type Cyndaquil. When the Pokémon stopped emitting light, their faces turned from interest to shock at the state the small Pokémon was in.

The emaciated Cyndaquil stood there, whimpering from the pain she was in. She was covered with scrapes and bruises. She had a black eye, her fur was messed up, a couple scrapes were on her forehead and nose. Her left foot was beginning to blacken, while above it, there was a terrible scrape. Her back bore several lacerations, and her belly was horribly bruised. Her left arm appeared broken, while her right arm there was a lash, which was wide and deep, which caused it to bleed heavily. She quivered, let out a weak "Quil..." and fainted.

"Oh, no!" Professor Elm shouted, grabbing Cyndaquil. He cradled her and wrapped his hand around the lash on her arm, putting pressure on it to keep it from bleeding. He felt his hand beginning to leak her blood, so he quickly let go, grabbed his drying rag, and wrapped it around her arm. He took a quick glance at his arm, and already Cyndaquil's blood left a large stain. He took one panicked look at the elder professor, whose demeanor had been shaken by the bloody sight.

"My stars, we need to take it to the Pokemon Center, and _fast!_" Professor Oak exclaimed. He started running out the door, with Elm tailing right behind.

They came outside to a light rain dampening the streets of New Bark Town, but that didn't stop them. Professor Elm crouched as he ran, shielding the weak Cyndaquil from the rain. Looking down at the small, blood-soaked Pokémon, he whispered, "Hold on, little one, we're taking you to someone who can provide you with medical care!"

The Pokémon Center was not too far from the lab, and soon, both professors were barging through the door, panting and soaking wet. The sudden noise made Nurse Joy jump, but she immediately calmed down when she saw who it was. Smiling, she asked, "Hello, professors. What's the hurry?"

"We have a Cyndaquil in need of immediate medical attention!" Oak shouted, gesturing to the Pokémon that Professor Elm cradled in his arms.

It took a split second for Nurse Joy to register the bad shape of the Cyndaquil, and with a gasp, she called, "Chansey! We have an emergency! We have a Cyndaquil suffering severe blood loss!"

The called Chansey came out immediately with a rolling bed, and Professor Elm gently set Cyndaquil on the bed before Chansey took off, and Nurse Joy hurriedly followed. Standing there, the two men looked at each other, and took a seat on the foyer's bench. There, they waited.

* * *

Cyndaquil found herself flying through the forest again, being chased by the men in machines, dodging trees, and the whole time, she had no control over where she was going. She stopped for a brief respite, floating over a rock and looking over a forest, then started flying again.

_If I'm flying, why don't I just fly over the forest?_ she thought. As she thought this, she suddenly plunged into a ravine, hearing a roar of pain coming from somewhere. She tumbled into a thick mist, and fell until she saw a boulder, just waiting for her to crack her head open on it...

She woke up with a quick squeal. Breathing heavily, she started to look around. This was not her Pokeball. Instead, she was in a room, lying on a bed. There was a window to her left, and she could see a Pokémon battle happening. She was too curious about the room to watch, though. There were several other Pokémon resting, hurt and tired from battles they had. The room was white, but not white enough to hurt her eyes. It had a calm and peaceful atmosphere, which made the other Pokémon very calm at the moment.

_Where am I?_ she thought. She tried standing up to explore, but her leg hurt so bad, she immediately sat back down. Then she noticed her arms were wrapped up in bandages, along with her pain-ridden leg. She spotted a couple more bandages wrapped around her abdomen, and felt a thick, soft pad on her back, which the bandages on her abdomen her holding. She felt her head, which had even more bandages, and spotted a bandage on her nose.

_Where did all this come from?_ she wondered, rubbing her nose.

She thought about what had last happened before she was forced into the Pokeball. She remembered the thunderstorm, the rope tethering her to the tree breaking, the lightning striking her and her miraculous survival, and then the vicious beatdown that Anonimo gave her. Her memories were accompanied by splashes of red, and the dismayed look that Croconaw had held on his face, up until he was chased off by the others. After that, it was all just a painful blur.

With that in mind, she couldn't help but wonder, _How did I get here?_

Just then, a woman with pinkish-orange hair, wearing a nurse outfit came in. She blinked in confusion, for she thought that the nurse worked somewhere else. She watched as the nurse carried several bowls full of Pokémon food, which made Cyndaquil drool. She had not had food for quite awhile, and her hunger pangs were gnawing at her insides. She continued to watch Nurse Joy hand the bowls to the other Pokémon as they woke up. Upon seeing food, each of them stuck their faces in and munched happily. Cyndaquil ground her teeth at the sight, and her stomach rumbled loudly, which prompted odd looks from the others. She flushed red upon the eyes resting on her.

Nurse Joey finally made her way to the Fire Mouse with a bowl of food in tow. She sat on a chair next to Cyndaquil's bed, and set the bowl on her lap. She smiled and said, "You must be hungry, little Cyndaquil. You've been out for the past few days, and been in that Pokeball for who knows how long."

"Da! Cynda!" _Boy, am I!_ However, she found herself unable to move her arms much without them hurting. Nurse Joy took a piece and held it to Cyndaquil's mouth, which the latter took a quick bite.

"I'm sorry that you can't move your arms, but don't worry, they'll get better soon. For now, I'll feed you."

Nurse Joy grabbed a handful, and held it under Cyndaquil's mouth. With a delighted squeal, Cyndaquil devoured the handful quickly. She devoured the next handful that the nurse handed her, and the next one, and the next one. To her, nothing ever tasted so good, and she could feel her taste buds singing in absolute glee. Nurse Joy giggled at the enthusiasm that the little one had in eating.

Once Cyndaquil was done, she grinned in satisfaction of being fed. Nurse Joy stroked the soft, uncovered fur on the Pokémon's head and said, "I'm glad that you liked it. Now, I think I'll call Professor Elm and tell him how you're doing."

Cyndaquil watched as the woman left the room, and kept on smiling. However, once Anonimo crossed her mind, her face fell into a frown.

Where was he? Does he know she's here? Will he ever come back? She remembered each biting insult that he had spat her way, and the pain he had put her through. She tried to decipher the emotions she felt whenever she was around him. Did she obey him because she loved him, or was it merely out of fear?

She thought about this until night fell, and she looked at the stars. He had neglected to feed her, made her battle when she was sick, didn't rescue her from the ice-cold pool of the gym, tied her to a tree when punishing her, and beat her senseless after she saved his life. Her frown deepened, and she suddenly felt hollow. Her satisfaction at being fed was gone, with a new hunger. But what was this hunger? Uncertainty invaded her thoughts, and she didn't know if she felt love or fear around her former trainer, but whatever the case, she wanted him back. She had no idea why, she just did.

_Why was I never good enough for him? Why did I have to be so weak? I tried my hardest, I was obedient, and I gave him a lot of respect!_ she thought, her breaths turning shallow. _He didn't have to hurt me all the time... but why couldn't I be stronger? I just wanted his love, and his respect, and his praise... but my tries were never good enough..._

Her eyes leaked out tears. They started out just as small trickles, but they soon came out in torrents. They began to soak the fur on her cheeks and the blanket that covered her. It stung her black eye, but she kept sobbing in pure heartbreak. She couldn't believe that she had disappointed Anonimo that much. She really was weak, and she deserved everything she got. And no matter what comforting thought tried to knock, her heart kept saying, _He left me, he left me, he left me... I really am worthless..._


	9. From One Blue to Another

The tedious days after that were all the same: sit in bed, wait until mealtime for Nurse Joy to come in and feed her, wonder why Anonimo left her. Every day, she thought she would run out of tears to cry, and all she could do was mope. Cyndaquil was pretty sick of it. She wanted to move, but her leg and arms still hurt, so she still sat, waiting for the day they could finally move. She felt tension in her limbs that could be solved by simply stretching, so her current state was frustrating.

However, she was focused on her thoughts about Anonimo, wishing he would come back and train her again. Even though she was treated badly by him, she still wanted him to return. She knew of no other life, so that was the only option that she could think of. But, as the last words he said to her rang in her hand, she knew he wasn't coming back for her. At night, she'd realize that her eyes were not dry, and cry herself to sleep.

* * *

About a month later, she instinctively stretched to relieve her tense arm muscles, and found that there was barely any pain. She stretched her legs, and although her knees stung, it didn't feel as bad as they did when she had first awaken in the Pokémon Center. She did not try to stand though; she had not the will to. Nurse Joy came in with breakfast, and when she attempted to feed her, Cyndaquil only squirmed away and shoved herself under her pillow, trying to inform Nurse Joy that she didn't want to eat.

"Oh, my! You can move your limbs now?" Nurse Joy asked in surprise. "Hm, I guess you don't need me to feed you by hand." She set the bowl on the bed, and then walked away to carry out her other duties.

Cyndaquil crawled from her spot under the pillow and watched Nurse Joy leave. When the human was gone, her sights landed on the food bowl and its contents. She stared at the morsels, her mouth beginning to water. However, as soon as Anonimo's critical voice boomed in her head, she gritted her teeth, trying to hold back tears.

_I'm a weakling,_ she thought. She forced herself to stand up, and then kicked the bowl off of the bed, spilling the contents all over the brightly shining floor. She continued staring at the scattered tidbits, and wiped her eyes again. _I don't deserve that luxury._

In the waiting area, Nurse Joy met Professor Elm, who immediately asked about Cyndaquil's well-being. It had been a month since he and Professor Oak came running in with the bloodied Pokémon in arm; surely she had made some significant progress. Nurse Joy silently brought him to the room Cyndaquil was in, and found the Fire Mouse had buried her head in her pillow, as well as the spilled Pokémon food. They could hear shallow breaths and squeaky whimpers from under the pillow.

"Cyndaquil is doing well in the physical healing process, but it appears she's heartbroken," Nurse Joy sighed.

Professor Elm walked to the melancholy Pokémon lying in the bed, and lifted the pillow to take a good look at her. The black eye was gone, as well as all of the bruises. However, her leg was still bandaged up, and so were her arms, though she could now freely move them. The pad was still on her back, and the bandages were still on her head and nose. He stroked her, only for Cyndaquil to recoil and snatch the pillow from his hand. She proceeded to cover herself once again, with a mournful sigh.

"I guess I'd be heartbroken too if someone I cared about left me," he said sadly. "I still have trouble believing that trainers like her former one exist."

"I'm afraid her emotional pain will take a very long time to heal," Nurse Joy said. "There's no telling what her behavior around other humans will be in the future. So far, signs are pointing to fear, and there's no telling what that may lead to: timidity or aggression."

"Either way, she's going to have it rough." Elm adjusted his glasses. "I hope she manages to overcome her fears in the future."

Both humans left the room, leaving the Cyndaquil to mope under her pillow. She heard the footsteps walking out, and the click of the door shutting. She only pulled on the pillow, nearly smothering herself with the white featherbag. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she could feel the whip smacking her back once again. Breath whistled through her gritted teeth, and Anonimo's words kept erupting into memory. However, for some reason, one line stood out in particular.

_"We do want it to evolve, right?"_

Those words echoed through her mind. She threw the pillow off of herself, and sat up, pondering just what those words meant. She knew what evolution was; Croconaw had informed her about it. It was just that she had no idea what she evolved into. If Croconaw had told her, either she hadn't been paying attention or just plain forgot.

_What do I evolve into? Why is it so important to him?_ she thought, tapping her little chin.

As she thought this, she heard someone outside yell, "Go, Typhlosion!" She looked out the window, and saw a trainer summon a Pokémon from it's Pokeball. The Pokémon stood slightly taller than the trainer, having a big, bulky build. It had a dark blue back, with a cream colored underside. It's eyes revealed red irises, and it bore sharp fangs. It had thin, triangular ears, and red spots ringed along the back of the neck. It bore a face of utmost fierceness, and its eyes were a window for its fiery spirit.

_Typhlosion?_ she wondered. Maybe this was what she would evolve into. Standing up and leaning against the window, she watched as the other trainer summoned a Hitmonchan. Typhlosion's neck burst into flame, like Cyndaquil's back would. She watched in awe as the two Pokémon battled, and it was quite obvious to her that Typhlosion had a major advantage. Hitmonchan seemed to be tired, and Typhlosion wasn't even breaking a sweat. During the whole time, both the larger Pokémon and its trainer bore the familiar expression that Anonimo had held, and harsh memories came back to her. She began to imagine herself as the angry tool that stood outside the window, finishing the battle with a tremendous Flamethrower. She looked at the Hitmonchan, which was burned more terribly than she had ever seen, and there was no ounce of sympathy for the Fighting Type as it was returned to its Pokeball. She trembled at the sight, especially upon her merciless evolved form.

_Do I even want to evolve into that beast?_ She grasped her blanket tightly. Her heart raced as she imagined herself as a Typhlosion, roasting any opponent that she came up against, but not for sport; for winning, for pleasing her trainer, and not caring how badly the injuries on her opponent were. She could feel Anonimo finally being proud of her, but why? Because she nearly killed a Pokémon? The more she thought about it, the more it terrified her to be destined to be such a monster.

Just then, Nurse Joy came in with another strange Pokemon. It looked similar to Typhlosion, but smaller. It's ears revealed red insides, and there were three red spots on it's rear and two on it's head. It was much less fierce-looking, which spiked her curiosity. Nurse Joy carried it to a table, and sprayed something on it's arm. It cringed for a moment, then its spots burst into flames, making Nurse Joy jump.

"Quilava, stay calm! I'm trying to help!" she exclaimed.

_Quilava?_ Cyndaquil thought.

With a growl, Quilava jumped off of the table and darted out of the room. Nurse Joy gaped for a moment, trying to process what happened. With a loud groan, she began pursuing the Pokémon, leaving Cyndaquil to stare in wonder.

She connected the dots. _Cyndaquil evolves into Quilava, and Quilava into Typhlosion, _she thought. From what she heard from outside, Nurse Joy was struggling with the Quilava. She heard the weasel continued its strained yelping, and all she could think about was how much of a coward that Pokémon was. She got beaten to a bloody pulp and had been healing for the past month, and she was still not done! Quilava was just running away from some medicine that only stung. She had no idea how that cowardice evolved into a lack of sympathy, but it didn't matter. Low opinions had already been given.

_I evolve into an angry coward, and then a monster? Hmph, I don't even want to evolve at all!_ she thought after her first impression of her evolved forms.

* * *

Later that night, for once, she was not crying to sleep. She was clutching her blanket, thinking of her evolved forms and how she saw them. How that Quilava was running away from powerless humans and that Typhlosion had callously scorched his opponent with no sportsmanship was beyond her. With the trainer's face etched into her mind, she gritted her teeth, remembering how Anonimo treated her.

_So that's it. Anonimo doesn't care! He just wants me to evolve into a monster!_

Thoughts of him raced through her mind, with every insult, spit, punishment, kick, and lash raining onto her. She now understood that it was not proper discipline; it was just him angry with her for infractions that could have been solved a different way. Her sorrow had subsided; it had been replaced by anger.

_He only cared if I won battles!_

She thought of all her battles, the one win and her many losses. She remembered her list of attacks that had defeated her, and how she could never ignite her flame when needed. He expected her to already know how to control it, instead of helping her overcome that block. Her anger began to heighten, and she began to feel hot. Surely, it was evolving into rage.

_He beat me after I saved his life, and abandoned me!_

She thought of that night, when during a storm, she shoved him to keep him from being struck by lightning, only to be mercilessly pummeled with a bull whip and left buried in a Pokeball to suffer. It was unfair; she should have been rewarded by Anonimo and given more respect by the Pokémon. But even after her amazing feat, most of the Pokémon didn't even lift a finger or a claw to help her; instead, they only chased off Croconaw, the only one who had remotely even attempted to stop the beating.

_He thought I was a hopeless cause!_

Her spots began to heat up as she got angrier, and the all-too-familiar surge erupted within her again, stronger than before. Her brow furrowed, her teeth clenched, and she clutched her blanket even harder, as the rage grew even more. She recalled most of the trainers of her opponents, how they verbally abused their Pokémon, with the exception of the Chikorita trainer, but she figured that the boy would grow into an abusive sociopath, just like the rest.

_Those human trainers are all the same! They just want power! If they don't get it, the Pokémon will suffer!_

She stood up, ignoring all pain that inhabited her body. Her breaths were getting deeper and hissing between her teeth. Her heart rate had increased, much of her fur stood on end, and she began to growl more fiercely than was thought possible for a Cyndaquil. Her fists were clenched so tightly, it would've stung her paws had she not ignored it. Her ire was so intense, she felt as if she were about to explode. The surge within her was going to be released, and she didn't care who got her way. Her vision began to blur, and everything was turning red.

_I WON'T LET ANOTHER ONE HURT ME!_

Nurse Joy walked in to check on her and tuck her in for the night, not expecting the fright that the Fire Mouse was about to give her.

"_QUIIIIILLLLLL!_"

She had found herself walking in to a Cyndaquil whose back exploded into a bright azure flame, instantly scorching the pad on her back. Before Nurse Joy had time to react, Cyndaquil shot out a powerful Flamethrower directly at her. Jumping in fright, she quickly ran out of the room with the Flamethrower barely missing her. However, she could still feel the intense heat of the flames beside her, and she scrambled into another room. She caught her breath, and looked at the patches of skin turning red. Then she noticed Cyndaquil running past the door.

"Cyndaquil?!" she gasped. She crawled from her spot, and watched as Cyndaquil scurried down the hall, kicked another door open, and dashed into the waiting room. Joy stood up and followed Cyndaquil's path. When she ran into the waiting room, she looked around at the scorched walls, furniture, and décor before running out the front door, where she was certain that the Fire Mouse had run out.

Once outside, she stopped dead in her tracks, watching in horror at the siege being laid on New Bark Town.

The first thing that Cyndaquil did was leap onto a random passerby, tackle him, and Flamethrower his face. Then she glanced at a couple that was passing by, and wasted no time in chasing them as she rolled into a Flame Wheel. The couple ran as fast as they could, unfortunately leading her deeper into town. At first, the other citizens that were out for a stroll curiously watched the couple dashing in a flailing panic. Then their eyes all widened collectively at the shock of a blue Flame Wheel rolling down the street.

Cyndaquil sprang out of her attack, and the people looked at the bandaged Pokémon curiously. She didn't take the funny looks that everyone gave her very well, so she took a deep breath and blasted out another Flamethrower at the pedestrians. Some fell due to the burns their legs sustained, some crumbled at their top half being engulfed in fire, and the rest began to run away in fright. Some decided to take shelter in nearby houses, and a couple of them had brought out their cell phones, and were spattering into them.

The Fire Mouse smirked in a seemingly evil manner, and proceeded to cause more destruction. She leapt onto a bike rack, and then dove into one of the house. The house was quickly engulfed in flames, and a family began to run out, covered in burns. Cyndaquil followed them out the front door, and then set fire to another house across the street with Flamethrower. She jumped into the middle of the street, and then blasted Flamethrower at another house; and another; and another.

The street was now immersed in a blue and orange glow, and Cyndaquil looked around, seemingly admiring her work. However, her musing was interrupted with a couple of boys shooting water guns at her, in hopes of killing the blue flames that flared from her back. The water evaporated on impact, but that didn't stop her from direction her anger at the two boys. She jumped at them, and the boys fought back in a panic, trying to wrestle the vicious little Pokémon off of them.

They ended up throwing her away from them, and she landed in the arms of a young man and his date. She fired her flames into the girl's face, and the young woman screamed in absolute pain.

"Jennifer, no!" the man screamed. However, he soon sounded pained roars as Cyndaquil aimed a Flamethrower at his legs, and immediately, he stumbled onto the pavement. He didn't have time to rest, however, as Cyndaquil swiftly threw a punch in his face, lifted him up, and threw him onto his date. With a smoky snort, she ran from the couple, and continued her rampage.

Horrified at the havoc Cyndaquil was wreaking, Nurse Joy made the decision to run to Professor Elm's lab. Taking a deep breath, she began to run in a direction that avoided the street that was burning. She flinching when she heard screams from another street, and she rushed to the lab. Her journey was all a blur; all she could feel was her heart pounding; all she could hear was people screaming; and all she could smell was smoke and burning flesh. Her mind was blank, and there seemed to be nothing that could stop her, not even the burns that lined her limbs.

She burst into the lab to find Professor Elm distracted by something under a microscope. The loud bang that sounded when the doors burst open didn't even make the man flinch. She panted loudly, which informed him that it was Nurse Joy that arrived.

"Oh, hi, Nurse Joy," he said without looking up.

"Professor Elm, there's a problem-"

"Did you run out of medicine?"

"No, it's not that, it's-"

"Is Chansey not feeling well?"

"No, I'd be able to handle that!"

"Then what is it?"

"It's Cyndaquil. She's gone berserk!"

Professor Elm looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Cyndaquil? Okay, I'd understand if it was a Typhlosion, since they're notorious for their bad tempers and burning everything in sight when you interrupt their nap, but Cyndaquil? They're one of the mildest fire-types! Why would one being going on a rampage? Besides, won't dousing Cyndaquil with a well-aimed Water Gun stop it?"

"Come with me, I'll show you!" Nurse Joy shouted, grabbing his arm. They darted out of the doorway, with the professor begging the nurse to slow down. Once she let go, she pointed in the direction of the rest of the town.

Professor Elm looked up, and gaped at the sight of half of New Bark Town on fire. An unpleasant smoky and fleshy odor filled his nostrils, and he winced at the sight of the paramedics picking up burnt residents and visitors of the town. The police and the firefighters were darting everywhere they could, trying to calm the citizens and put out the fires. In the distance, there was a blue glow among the orange flames that crackled around them. Many people ran panicking, despite Officer Jenny's best efforts.

"EVIL CYNDAQUIL!"

"It's the end of the world!"

"That's no Cyndaquil, it's a demon!"

"Run for your lives! Cyndaquil's gonna get you!"

Still staring in disbelief, Professor Elm mumbled, "What the..."

"I told you! I don't know why she's doing this! All I did was walk in and she tried to kill me!" Nurse Joy shouted. Holding out her arms, she hissed, "I'm lucky only to escape with these burns! Civilians are suffering much worse right now!"

"...are you sure this is the same Cyndaquil that was suffering from depression?" Professor Elm asked.

Nurse Joy nodded. Groaning, Elm bemoaned, "And she takes the aggressive option. Now... we have to find a way to stop her!"

* * *

Cyndaquil stepped foot in a field, feeling flames lick her teeth. Her heart still pounded against her chest, and she felt smoke churning out of her throat. She stomped forward further into the field, glaring at any wild Pokémon that occupied the area. Pidgey and Spearow flew from the spots where they had pecked their last meal of the day from, and upon the Fire Pokémon's arrival, all had quickly realized that this was no normal Cyndaquil that was storming through, and that it was suicide to attack.

She stopped in a patch of soft grass, and immediately a fire began forming around her. She breathed heavily, and with a roar, tore off her remaining bandages. She ripped those wrapped around her head off first; followed by those wrapped on her leg, then by those on her left arm, and finally, her right arm. She was in better shape than initially thought, with nearly every part of her healed. However, when she looked at her right arm, her face fell.

A large, pink, raw scar, formed a thick band around her arm, as a reminder of the severe lashing that Anonimo had given her, and how it will always be a part of her. She stared at the scar and brushed it with her paw. Her vision was cleared of red, and it was sharp as she focused on the scar. Her flames faded from bright blue to deep orange, and then died down. Her left paw found her way onto her head as she shook it.

During her the time where her vision was nothing but a red blur, she had no idea what happened. She was in a bed, and now she standing in a grass field in the dark? She remembered being angry; now she was scared, confused, alone, and cold. What happened to her? Why is she hearing screeching sirens? Why can she feel something awful being cooked? She clutched her head in both arms and quaked, overcome with heavy fear. She had began to cry when she felt herself being picked up by her underarms.

"Cyndaquil!" she heard Professor Elm say. Knowing it was him who picked her up, she began to squirm, and was pumping strong flares from her back. She looked at his face, which clearly had a mixture, of anger, fear, and disappointment.

"Cyndaquil," Professor Elm said sternly. "What did you just do? Nurse Joy led me outside to see the destruction you have caused! Why did you do it, and what did that solve?! You might have killed innocent people for all I know!"

Her attempts at getting him to put her down were fruitless, and from the corner of her eye, she could she flames engulfing over half of New Bark Town. With a sudden new burden on her shoulders, she stepped squirming, grabbed Elm's sleeve and squeezed it. She looked away from him, still filled with anger at all elements that made her miserable, and trying to deny that she was the cause of the New Bark fire. However, her eyes still spilled tears, and she didn't know why. All she knew was that she was confused.

Professor Elm was just glad she calmed down before anything truly terrible happened to anyone, but afraid of the power that Nurse Joy described. He cautiously pulled her forward, and cradled her like he did a month before, when she was still spilling blood from her wounds. Feeling Cyndaquil's tears soaking his shirt, he turned around and carried her back to the Pokémon Center.

"What am I going to do with you?" he mumbled.

* * *

**Author's Notes: What? Shouldn't Fire Legendaries be powerful enough to expel blue fire if they wanted to? :/ I don't see why it should just be a single attack instead of some crazy-awesome ability that could obliterate anybody. Again, if you expect me to be completely faithful to canon, you're wasting your time. It's difficult to be faithful to canon while trying to twist in concepts of my own invention. But I try to be as faithful as possible! ^^;**

**Anyway, we now have the heavy question of our little Half-Blood's confusion and why she went berserk. Also, she doesn't like her evolved forms (reasons may be flimsy, but you can accept that she's like a little kid... right?).**

**Anyway, I'm planning on ending "Shattered Spirit" on this chapter, and the next installment of this Cyndaquil's saga will be... actually, a whole lot more upbeat and comedic. It might take you back to the old episodes of the anime, even! **

**Anyhoo, Chapter Ten of this won't be a chapter... it'll be a Q&A, if you have any questions. Sound good? M'kay, see ya later, folks, and thank you for reading this tale!**


End file.
